Great Baltimore cocktails, The Dundalk Iced Tea at Midtown BBQ & Brew

Jazmine Johnson, Baltimore Sun

Dundalk, represent.

Dundalk, represent. (Jazmine Johnson, Baltimore Sun)

Meekah Hopkins

"Good stuff, made delicious, that's super ballsy."

If ever there was a culinary mantra that typified the Baltimore spirit, Midtown BBQ & Brew's chef, Tony Harrison, has articulated it. And he wants you to know that when it comes to food and drink, his restaurant goes big or … not at all. While this Mount Vernon spot considers itself to be an old-school BBQ house, they are also inventive with ingredients, offering nine different types of BBQ sauces reflective of barbecue options worldwide. They whip it all up in-house and only use free range beef. Big on bold flavors, it only makes sense then that Harrison wants you to wash it down with something equally intense, something equally gutsy, something very hometown — the Dundalk Ice Tea.

If you're homegrown like me, you're already impressed and intrigued by the name. But if you're not as easily sold (shame on you), get ready for the challenge that awaits: You're about to experience Natty Boh, lovingly embraced by four different types of liquors. Oh yeah. Like it's Northern counterpart, the Dundalk Ice Tea is deceptively delicious but, "an anvil." as Harrison proudly confessed. Game on. Think of the drink as a Long Island Iced Tea but with an earthier flavor, as provided by the Natty Boh. This blend of locales is intentional, reflective of Harrison's own cultural intersection. "I grew up in Long Island and was weaned on Long Island Iced Teas. Loved them to death," he said. "[Now], I happen to be a huge fan of Dundalk. I wanted to pay homage to my people [and to] the 'Dindalkians.' This called for a drink with at least five types of hooch." By hooch he means vodka and rum and gin and tequila and, of course, beer, oh my.

So what does Midtown BBQ and Brew say to patrons who are intimidated by that many different types of liquor in the same drink? True to form and style, Harrison offers, "Try a Mimosa".

No, don't. Go in knowing you're getting a lot of bang for your buck, and embrace that good ole, no-nonsense, real-talk spirit, hon. It's gotten us this far, Baltimore.